For Amelia Joyce, this guidebook is a labour of love. One of Amelia’s passions in life is sharing her knowledge and love of this special place and she does so beautifully in My Connemara Journeys and Favourite Walks, imparting her personal stories and a flavour of the history and character of Connemara, its people and the grandeur and power of its landscapes.

The great-great-grandfather of Amelia Joyce – Big Jack Joyce – came from Leenane and once owned the Leenane Inn, now known as the Leenane Hotel. The family was mostly involved in the wool trade, the main industry in this wild, craggy landscape.

Amelia enjoyed a magical childhood in this enchanting area of Connemara. She has fond memories of endless summer days on the golden sands of Lettergesh, climbing the rugged hills, and taking late evening walks when the moon cast its golden reflection over Killary Harbour, ‘Silence was everywhere, apart from the bleating of the blackface sheep, the only sound to be heard was the haunting cry of the curlew and the echo of my own footsteps.’

The family moved from Connemara to Dublin when Amelia was a young girl. Upon leaving boarding school she lived in Paris and London, before returning to Dublin a number of years later to work side-by-side with Neillí Mulcahy, one of Ireland’s most famous fashion designers. Amelia followed this with a number of years making her mark in PR
internationally with Intercontinental Hotels.

After her marriage to William ‘Bill’ Lynch in the Garden of Gethsemane, she lived in Jordan for a number of years. While in the Middle East, Amelia visited and was fascinated by the ancient cities of Petra, Damascus, Aqaba, Jerusalem and Beirut. One of her highlights was horse-riding in the vast Wadi Rum Desert, also known as the Valley of the Moon, where Lawrence of Arabia fought his battles with the Turks. A later adventure included sailing down the Amazon to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and to South Georgia Island to pay her respects to her hero Ernest Shackleton. An evacuation from the Middle East in 1967 vi vii led to a move to La Jolla, California, where Amelia worked in interior design. Bill received a PhD in English and American Literature from the University of California, San Diego, where he served as dean and faculty member. He directed and acted in plays for theatre and radio. In 1977 he formed the Irish Players in San Francisco and directed five plays: The Brute, The Workhouse, Love in the Country and Freedom of the City. Bill received the prestigious Atlas Award for his role as King Duncan in MacBeth and also for his supporting role in Heloise and Abelard at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Having lived abroad for over thirty years, Amelia returned to Connemara and built her dream cottage on a hill overlooking Lough Corrib; to quote Amelia:

Living here is like being surrounded by a priceless
and everchanging work of art, especially when the dawn breaks
and the sun rises over Lough Corrib.

Eleanor Collier